Before you (or your delegated SEO expert) can view and control website data on Google Search Console, you need to have at least one verified website owner. Google wants to make sure that it does not give just anyone access to GSC for a website. Only an authenticated/verified owner for a specific property (website) can see Google Search Console data, affect its presence in search results, and provide an SEO expert with the access they need to do their job well.
Thus, before an SEO expert starts managing a website on Google Search Console, Google ensures that they are authorised (or are delegated by a verified website owner) to do so. Every property in Google Search Console needs to have at least 1 verified owner.
Verification is a simple process and there are a number of ways to do it. Google will periodically check the validity of the verification. If Google is unable to validate the verification, the website owner(s) and all their delegates will lose access to that property after a grace period. You can add multiple verification methods to avoid this.
In this blog, these authentication/verification methods are exactly what we will talk about. Not all of these methods will be applicable for every website - you can see the list of available options in the “Ownership Verification” page in Google Search Console.
You can upload a special HTML file to your website to verify ownership. Choose the 'HTML File Upload' method listed on the verification details page and upload the file that you get to the website's root directory. You must upload the file provided on the Verification Page without any modifications.
If you choose the HTML Tag method on the verification details page, then you have to include a '<meta>' tag in the '<head>' section of the website's home page. This tag is provided on the Verification page of Google Search Console and must be inserted without any modifications. The HTML tag is only for a specific user.
In this method, the SEO expert signs into the domain name provider (such as GoDaddy.com) and adds a TXT record. Every DNS record is for associating a specific user to a specific domain. To get the TXT record, create a Domain property or select the Domain verification option. Once the SEO expert adds the TXT record to the domain provider, they have to click on the Verify button next to the unverified property in Google Search Console. Google then verifies the presence of the personal record assigned to the domain. It may take up to a day for this verification to complete.
If you use Google Analytics for a website, you can authenticate using the Google Analytics tracking code. You will need edit permission for the specific web property whose tracking code is being used. The tracking code must also use the ‘gtag.js’ or ‘analytics.js’ snippet. This tracking code is only for verification of site ownership - it does not provide access to any Google Analytics data.
The SEO expert can also use the container snippet of a Google Tag Manager account to authenticate the website. They will require 'Publish' permission for the Tag Manager container on that page. The '<noscript>' part of the code must be placed just after the opening '<body>' tag of that specific web page. The code must be inserted exactly as provided.
Any blogs created using Blogger are automatically added and authenticated in the SEO expert's Search Console account. If it does not appear automatically, then add the property and it should verify on its own. In case that does not happen, you can verify using the HTML tag method that we discussed above.
For domains registered with Google Domains, any property on it will be verified automatically when added to Google Search Console.
Verifying site ownership in Google Search Console is an important step. It ensures that only the right set of people, such as site owners and the SEO expert, can access GSC data and modify its visibility in Google's search results. You can use one or more of these methods to ensure that only you and your delegated SEO expert have access to your website on Google Search Console.